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Been lurking at this website for a while. I signed up for to ask a specific question:

And it is definitely not does aikido work type of question.

Here goes:

I have been active in the martial art for a long long time, starting with krotty during childhood days to judo (in Uni-days) to Aikido. Aikido is something I stucked with the longest, reaching 1st Dan. The school of Aikido I practice is Yoshinkan. It is also something that is closest to Budo that I felt and I truly enjoyed it.

I stopped aikido 10 years ago. During this 10 years of inactiveness, I started a family, started a business, failed my business, became an employee all over, took weekend studies to earn a professional accountancy qualification (CIMA - rather proud of it actually).

Today I am a freelance business consultant and work time is more flexible, I wish to regain some work-life balance. I actually longed to be back in the mat again, dishing out pain and punishment to all and sundry.

Problem is, across this period of time, I also gain one stone of weight, huge pot belly, turkey neck and lost my fitness. I basically can't even do a couple of break-falls without panting and the thought of doing a full kote-gaeshi ukemi or a hip throw ukemi is nightmare to me now.

So my question is, should I or shouldn't I? Or should I just let go of my little mid-life fantasy and stick with golf like most of my business associates? I am 40 this year.

Yep. If you go the alternate route of taking up exercise you hate in order to get into better shape first, you may well never make it back to the dojo.
There is no shame in sitting out some parts of class because you need a break. There is no shame in limiting the amount or type of ukemi you do because of either a temporary or permanent problem.
Let a slower, gentler approach to training allow your body to regain flexibility, suppleness and coordination...

Well.. seeing as where you are asking the question, it's predictable what answer you will get (Of course we think you should start training again! silly question really) it's also obvius what answer you consciously or sub consciously want. So I agree with everyone else, do start again and just take it slow in the beginning and dont compare what you can do now to what you could do then. Train and have fun!
Helle

Yes, do it! . I would say just don't go in expecting to be able to immediately continue right at the level of ability you left off; you may be disappointed or injured (the latter especially if you find your body remembers how to do things it isn't yet in shape to do safely).

IMO, you can't go wrong thinking of yourself as a beginner at least in some ways (esp physically). Then you'll be happily surprised by just how much you can do.

Definitly what Basia said. I've stopped and restarted horseback rideing every few years since i started it nearly 20 years ago.

Every time the problems I've had have been in my body remembering how to do something, but not haveing the right kind of conditioning any more to do it. and everytime I restart I am at a much lower level than when I last quit, BUT I start again at a slightly higher level than I started the last time. and it's only a matter of time and training for me to return to my previous level.

And it's fun to start anew again too as it's a differnet way to learn. At first it was skills that my body picked up, and that could just do then I learned the why and hows intelectualy and it was hard for a time to do it right, and then it become easy again and a skill I understand how works in a much more personaly aware way.
With horses, I find that this helps me a lot with the more difficult ones. I may not be able to ride perfectly, but due to starting and relearning it several times I'm a lot more aware of my own limitations, and those of the horse in a way few people that has never relearned rideing are. Not only do I know what I know, I've also learned what I dont know and can't easily do at each stage in my learning.
And relearning it has been as fun every time as it was the first time I learned it, and less frustrating because atleast I know the theory and how to correct myself a lot now.

When you start again i'd love to hear how you find it compares to the first time you learned and did aikido.

Only 40?
That's how old I was when I started Aikido.
Lots of years ago.
Try going back to Aikido - you might like it. Give it a few weeks to get over the DOMS you get when you start back at any physical activity (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). When you start, take it easy for a few weeks, too - your body needs some time to re-condition...
If you decide you don't want to continue, make that decision AFTER giving it a fair go - again, of at least a few weeks, and preferably a few months.
W

I had a couple of co-workers say to me the other day how much they wanted to try martial arts. This is a routine statement I hear regularly and will generally dismiss it and go on about my business. In this case I ask, "Are you serious?" Their response made me laugh. Emphatically they stated how serious they were and wanted to come it etc. I think it was a Wednesday when this conversation took place. I told them the next class was Friday. "Oh, I can't make it this Friday I already have plans." I laughed and said the following class would be Monday. "Oh, I can't do it Monday. I already have plans." I said "I thought you were serious." It has been 2 weeks and still no visit. One is older, maybe 50 the other probably mid 20s to early 30s. I too will be 40 this year. I will still take the high falls when I get the opportunity. I too get winded quickly. Although I have been acitve in the martial arts I am by no means 'in shape.' We are limited only by what we allow ourselves to be limited by. Take it slow, at your pace.

I had a couple of co-workers say to me the other day how much they wanted to try martial arts.

Yeah, this is a lot like people who look at a talented musician and say, "Gee, I wish I'd kept up with piano lessons." What they mean is that they wish they had the skill without the work, the time and the inconvenience. It's incredibly silly.

Do you think there's anything there that has any probability in improving your life? If yes, yes. If otherwise, choose something else.

Life's too short to be paralysed by indecision. Too rare to not chase and perfect. It's also too precious to be wasted, so find the emotional/physical/spiritual/(whatever) standards that you'd like to live by and evaluate this option against it.

So my question is, should I or shouldn't I? Or should I just let go of my little mid-life fantasy and stick with golf like most of my business associates? I am 40 this year.

Simon

don't do it. stick with golf. why leave the comfort of the easy life to put in sweat and pain for what? with golf, you can do whenever you like, having fun with your buddies, hanging out at clubs, checking out chicks, and enjoying the good life. aikido just isn't for you. don't do it.

don't do it. stick with golf. why leave the comfort of the easy life to put in sweat and pain for what? with golf, you can do whenever you like, having fun with your buddies, hanging out at clubs, checking out chicks, and enjoying the good life. aikido just isn't for you. don't do it.

Good thing we all know you Phi and your need for sarcasm, at least I hope that is what I read in that post. I hope it was not lost on Simon.

Simon,

Better to go back and find out than to always be looking over your should wondering 'what if'. Never live life that way.

Like others have said: just take it easy. You are starting over again. Do so completely. Let go of everything you 'think you remember' and let it slowly come back to you. Do not struggle with what is taught to you and what you 'feel you remember', simply appreciate the 'variations' of techniques and methods. Just enojoy yourself and do your best.

don't do it. stick with golf. why leave the comfort of the easy life to put in sweat and pain for what? with golf, you can do whenever you like, having fun with your buddies, hanging out at clubs, checking out chicks, and enjoying the good life. aikido just isn't for you. don't do it.

Yes. Start over. Be a beginner and don't worry about taking hard ukemi right now. Maybe even try out a different style than what you did before.

I got started at 39 with no prior experience, over weight and bad knees... that was three years ago. No regrets yet.

Yeah, be a beginner all over again, sounds good. If there is an Iwana style school I would jump at the opportunity in a jiffy, I heard their weapon work is more extensive than most other school. I would love to get more exposure to weapon work.

Subconciously I want to restart, but I am concern about how my body will take it....

I shall enter the dojo once again with much trepidation... Just like how I felt when I first put on my dogi, many many moons ago.

If you like it, stay (or not, but you have information on which to base the decision).

If you don't like it, don't stay (or do, but why?). Either way, you have information on which to base the decision....

I'm 58, and the only reason I'm not training regularly is lack of dojo - so I ride a bike, row a machine, occasionally row a boat, and think about Aikido... My back was healthier during the 17 years of Aikido between starting and moving to where there's no dojo, than it was during the 10 years before or the 15 months since.

So my question is, should I or shouldn't I? Or should I just let go of my little mid-life fantasy and stick with golf like most of my business associates? I am 40 this year.

Simon

If you think that aikido will help you to lose your overweight you are wrong. You have to change your life style, diet and this under control of certified dietician. So I see it as a first step. Then, you may consider starting very light running every day, also following advices qualified coach. Only after that, you can be back into the tatami, otherwise it will be huge disappointment and you will quite dojo forever.

You have to change your life style, diet and this under control of certified dietician. So I see it as a first step. Then, you may consider starting very light running every day, also following advices qualified coach.

I'm not convinced you need to pay someone to help you lose a stone of weight or so; you may want to and it may be helpful, but it's by no means required that you have a certified dietician or have a qualified coach to try and eat healthily and do some exercise.

The suggestion that Aikido will not help you lose weight makes a lot of presumptions on the person in question and the dojo they are planning on training at.

The question isn't "should I get back to training as a weight loss and fitness programme" it was "should I get back to training" with the additional question of "will being out of shape be a problem?". My answers are "Yes, if you want to or think you want to. You are free to change your mind at any time." and "Not necessarily; it depends on how you approach your training on the mat and possibly off of it as well if you feel like it's necessary or you wish to."